by Saskia MacEachen
Macaroons are exceptionally different things to the Scottish and to the French. Whilst we associate the name with coconut-covered bars that have been known to be made with potato, the French macaron could not be more different. The French macaron is a delicate, almond-flavoured, Italian meringue shell, filled with varying flavours of soft centre and presented in an array of pastel colours. This delightful confection is tipped to be the next big trend, supplanting cupcakes as the treat du jour.
According to renowned French chef Raymond Blanc, it can take patisserie chefs up to ten years to perfect their technique for making flawless macaroons. If you don’t fancy spending hours in the kitchen, we’ve got the best places you will find these elusive gems in Edinburgh.
Pâtisserie Madeleine
Pâtisserie Madeleine is a small, modern french pâtisserie and espresso bar situated in the heart of Stockbridge. Looking in the window, your eyes are met with a large cabinet filled with incredible-looking pâtisserie cakes and hundreds of gorgeous pastel-coloured macaroons.
The fantastically helpful staff know everything you will ever need to know about the cakes themselves, from what exactly is in each to where the ingredients are sourced. The various intriguing cakes include a Tarte Passion Framboise (passionfruit & raspberry tart) and the gorgeous Macaron Rose Framboise.
The standard macaroon selection boasts over twenty different flavours, with a large variety to choose from daily. Each is handcrafted in house by chef and owner Arnaud Djavanshir, who trained under arguably the biggest name in macaroons globally, Pierre Hermé. The stunning flavours include a punchy, sharp, passion fruit and milk chocolate, and the delicately flavoured pistachio, and at 85p per macaroon, it is definitely worth eating your way through the many flavours on offer or taking away to eat at home.
27b Raeburn Place, Edinburgh EH4 1HU, 0131 332 8455
www.patisseriemadeleine.com
L’Escargot Epicerie
Hidden underneath French restaurant L’Escargot Bleu on Broughton Street is L’Epicerie, which stocks all things French, including a variety of cooked meats, cheeses, hand-baked breads and croissants, various French apéritifs and of course, macaroons.
The macaroons are imported every 3-4 weeks from Marc Verdant’s French company Pétits Gourmands. They can be bought in batches of five, eight, twelve or eighteen and prices start at £5.50 for five. Buying a bag of five is a bit of a lucky dip, and the many different flavour combinations include chocolate, melon, lemon, pistachio, raspberry, strawberry, apricot, cherry and apple and cinnamon.
Although the macaroons look gorgeous, there is no indication of the flavours on the packaging, which is a bit disappointing. The sharp citron flavour of the yellow macaroon was intense, and there was a definite caramel flavouring to the centre of a pastel green macaroon; however, the three other macaroons in my box sadly lacked distinctive flavours. These are definitely worth a try but maybe check the flavours in-store first.
56a Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SA, 0131 556 1680
www.lepicerie.co.uk
The Bakers Place
This small bakery is the first ever fully Halal bakery in Edinburgh. It stocks bread and gorgeous handcrafted cakes and pastries all prepared and baked freshly in store, as well as serving Union hand-roasted coffee. They’re worth a mention as they also stock macaroons, although this isn’t a daily thing so it’s worth phoning in advance to ask.
Flavours vary depending on the day, but options can include strawberry, raspberry, lemon, mint chocolate, honey and pistachio.
7 Bakers Place, Edinburgh EH3 6SY, 0131 225 1899
Waitrose Supermarket
This supermarket is full of culinary delights, and when it comes to macaroons, it is no exception. In fact, Waitrose is the only supermarket in Edinburgh that stocks them.
Waitrose’s macaroons come from the fabulous Maison Blanc range created by French chef Raymond Blanc, which includes a variety of cakes and desserts. Although not freshly made like the ones from the bakeries, and a fair bit smaller, they are fantastic if you want a reliable source at a reasonable price.
The box of twelve includes two of each flavour: raspberry, chocolate, pistachio, vanilla, strawberry and lemon.
38 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh EH4 1AW, 0131 332 6312
145 Morningside Road, Edinburgh EH10 4AX, 0131 447 6899
www.waitrose.com
